Celtic Set
by BlackXangelsXofXLight
Summary: Strictly Batman and Superman in this story. An evil so horrible and powerful that it destroyed an entire race of gods is about to be unleashed. Can our two favorite heroes save the world and discover the secrets behind two new "heroes"? SMxOC BMxOC
1. Prologue

_Once, a very long time ago there was a place known as the Otherworld. The Otherworld was a place of extremes; happiness, sadness, love, joy, anger, fear, lust, hatred, ect… It was also a place of magic. The most powerful of the races were theTuatha Dé Danann. Known as gods and goddesses they ruled the Otherworld with a firm yet fair hand. Their magic was unrivaled, at least for a while. _

_You see there was another race of powerful beings who wanted control of the Otherworld, the Firbolg. They were horrible monsters only interested in power, domination, and destruction. _

_After thousands of earth years of peace the Firbolg mounted an unprecedented attack on the Danann. The battles were fierce and costly. Soon only five of the Tuatha Dé Danann remained , Brigid, daughter of the legendary Dagda, High King of the people, and her four youngest daughters**,**_ _Ériu__,_****_Banba__, __Fódla__, and the youngest and arguably the most powerful, The Morrígan. Even less of the Firbolg remained, but that didn't negate the fact that they were powerful and determined to take control. _

_Now you must know that in the years before the attack Brigid had constructed another realm, separate from the Otherworld. It was just as vast as the Otherworld but not nearly interconnected as it. She filled this realm with creatures of all different shapes, colors, sizes, intellects, and other attributes, despite these many differences these creatures all had one thing in common, they had souls. They could die in a way no Otherworlder could. She called this place the mortal world and these creatures (though they would soon develop their own identities) mortals. _

_If the Firbolg were to gain control of the Otherworld then the mortal world would soon fall to these beasts. With that in mind Brigid conceived one final desperate plan._

"_Do not cry for me little ones," she'd told her daughters before she'd gone off to what would hopefully be the final battle. "We all must sacrifices for what we hold." _

_The girls, as young as they were, nodded and tried to dry their tears. Brigid went out to battle, ready to face her enemy. With her she brought the Four Treasures of her people. The Spear Luin, the Stone of Fal, the Sword of Nuada, and her father's own possession, the Dagda's Cauldron. _

_The battle was long and vicious. Finally Brigid managed to subdue the last remaining Firbolg. Using all of her powers she bound the creature to the inside of the four treasures. She then sent the Hallows to the mortal world and sent each Hallow to a corner of the earth. _

_Seeing her victory her daughters had run out to meet their mother. But the battle had been too much, before her daughters could reach her Brigid faded away, into the shadows that consumed her kind once they expired._

_Her vast powers went to the three eldest girls, as did the duty of protecting the mortal world. Little Morrígan received the rest of her ancestors' great power, amplifying her already vast magical ability. The three eldest, or Triad as they would come to be known as, created a magical veil in order to shield the mortal world from the horrors of the Otherworld. The veil was completely effective everywhere but the youngest world, earth. There were small holes and tears where magical creatures could venture forth for better or worse. It was here the Triad decided to call home, they settled on a small green island that reminded them of their Otherworldly home. The Morrígan became a wanderer, traveling all over the Otherworld and the mortal world. _

_As the years wore on the daughters grew into beauty and into power, but none more so than The Morrígan. She soon came to represent a harsher nature than her sisters. In the mortal world she soon became associated with Death, War, and paradoxically, of Sovereignty, Wealth, and Fertility. Her sisters had a considerably more favorable reputation; they were viewed as the great mothers of the world, givers of all things good and great. _

_It was an age of relative peace and prosperity. The four sisters had made sure that the Four Hallows were well guarded and that a select few people knew of the horrors they held. Soon however the peace was broken. A new militant religion called Christianity soon began taking hold of the former Roman Empire. While the Romans had never conquered Ireland, the Triad's home, they had conquered the neighboring island of Britannia. _

_Soon it was obvious this new religion wouldn't, couldn't tolerate any other god except its own. As the followers grew in numbers and in might the Triad had a dilemma on their hands; Destroy the Christians before they demolished them or stand down? _

_Finally a decision was made. The sisters would transfer their powers into a single vessel, a daughter born to a mortal woman. The Morrígan would effectively become Queen of the Otherworld while the child would grow up among mortals and keep their magic safe. _

_So the Triad sacrificed themselves and transferred all their power to the womb of Igrain the Fair, mother of Morgan Le Fey and Arthur Pendragon. After the child was born Nimue, the Triad's priestess, wiped Igrain's memory and took the child, called The Ash Child for her extraordinary origins, to live in Ireland. _

_The Ash Child grew up like a princess, trained in every art except magic. She could speak all of the world's tongues, could ride, fence, and brawl better than any man; she had a special gift with musical instruments and could dance exceptionally well._

_Soon, grown and a great beauty she took her place in her half-brother's court and soon was beloved by the King and his Knights. Not everyone however was so enthralled with the new princess. Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Morgan Le Fey, and Nimue all feared and resented the Ash Child's influence over Arthur. In order to protect Arthur and her power the Ash Child sought out the Morrígan, unaware that the last of the Danann had been watching over the young woman since her birth. _

_The two formed a sincere, if tenuous, bond and began working for the utopia like peace that had prevailed in the Triad's time. Despite their best efforts however Arthur eventually fell, at the hands of his own bastard son no less. All was not lost however. Arthur's soul was allowed safe residence in Avalon, the World between Worlds and the Ash Child came into fuller understanding of her powers. _

_Soon their bond strengthened and they became the best of friends. As the years passed they molded to whatever the time period needed them to be. Together they kept their magic, the legacy of the Morrígan's people, and the Four Treasures safe. _

_But how long can such a prison hold? After all…nothing is forever…_

Except from _A Secret Mythos: What The Emerald Isles Hide_ by Sheena Mac Muiris


	2. Meeting Ana

She looked absolutely stunning. Her dark hair was coifed and curled to perfection, her make-up was perfect, her pearl earrings and necklace were flawless and her gown of **illusion****tulle**** with a ****halter****trumpet****, beaded lace appliqués, ****godet**** skirt and ****chapel train**** was the epitome of perfection. **

**All in all Lois Lane was the most beautiful bride Clark Kent aka Kal-El of Krypton aka Superman had ever seen. **

**Too bad he wasn't her groom. **

**No it was true. Fearless and feisty reporter Lois Lane wasn't getting married to Superman. Instead she was marrying a man called Odious Onassis, a Greek shipping tycoon with more money than Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne combined. They'd met three months at one of the functions Lois had attended as a member of the press. Clark had been overseas as Superman trying to broker an international peace treaty. The reporter and billionaire had hit it off and before anyone could really believe it, they were not only seriously dating but engaged. **

**Needless to say when Clark found out he wasn't too happy. Various elements (mostly of the insane criminal sort) kept him from confronting Lois about her whirlwind romance. So now here he was, two hours before her sunset on a yacht wedding. Well…no one ever said Superman had good timing about these things. **

"**Superman we had our chance," said Lois exasperatedly trying to contain her anger, "I gave you every opportunity to make it, make ****_us_**** official but you always balked. I couldn't wait around for you forever. Odious is a good man and I know he'll make me happy." **

"**Lois I kept putting off making an official relationship with you to keep you safe!" cried the Man of Steel throwing his hands in the air.**

**The Daily Planet's ace reporter shook her head sadly. "Then maybe you should find someone who doesn't need to be protected. Now…could you leave? My wedding is going to start soon." **

**Superman stared at her, the woman he'd loved with his whole heart for so many years, then sighed sadly. "Alright. I'll go. You look beautiful though Lois, I hope you really are happy." **

"**Thank you Superman," she whispered as he flew out of sight. **

**The Last Son of Krypton didn't, however, leave the ship entirely. He instead flew to another balcony on the opposite end of the boat. He stared blankly out to sea and pondered how his life had gotten to this point. **

**He'd always tried to do the right thing. He'd always tried to protect those he cared for but according to Lois that's what drove her away. Maybe she was right. Maybe he ****_did _****need to find someone who could defend herself against his enemies, who didn't need to be protected. **

"**You look like you could use a drink." **

**Superman jumped about a mile and spun around. With the exception of Batman it was nearly impossible to sneak up on him. **

**Standing behind him, leaning against the balcony doorway frame and smoking a cigarette was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire life.**

**She was about 5'11 with long legs and a trim, lithe figure. Her skin was a light bronze color and seemed to sparkle in the approaching dusk. She was wearing a jewel blue halter gown with high cut side slits and two inch kitten heels. Her cheek bones were sky high and razor sharp and her nose was small and slender. Her mouth was thin and a brilliant shade of strawberry red. Her red-gold hair was made up in an elegant chignon on the top of her head. But her most distinctive features were her eyes, they were deep, deep blue, like the Hope Diamond, with rings of silver so thick it seemed that for an instant her pupils were silver. **

**Clark's nostrils were suddenly filled with the scent of lilac and honeysuckle despite the sea air and her cigarette. The woman half smiled half smirked, revealing two rows of pure white teeth. **

"**I didn't mean to scare you luv, sorry about that," she said in a low husky voice thick with an Irish accent. She gave chuckled that was a smoky as the fag in her hand. **

"**You didn't scare me," replied Clark dumbly. He wasn't sure why he was lying but there was something about this woman that made him want to make a good impression on her. **

"**_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight,_****" she said sarcastically before stamping out her cigarette. She sauntered her way next to him and gave him a very brazen once over. **

"**You still look like you could use a drink," she said after a moment. **

**Superman arched and eyebrow and before he could stop himself replied, "You ****_do_**** realize who you're talking to don't you?" **

**The woman chuckled and said, "I do but still. Even Superman would need a drink after having his heart ripped out." **

**The Kryptonian's face fell. "You…know about that?" **

"**Luv…there isn't a person on this bloody ship who doesn't know about the bride's ex. Odious won't shut up about how he bagged Superman's love. Man really is an arse." **

"**I take it you two have a history?" asked Superman, a wry grin stretching his lips. **

**The woman brushed away a bit of hair and looked him straight in the eye. "I'll tell you all the sordid details over a shot. What do you say?" **

**Superman thought about it for a moment then bowed gallantly and murmured, "Ladies first." **

**She smiled and walked into the room, instantly filling it with an unknown energy. She walked over to a liquor cabinet and pulled out two bottles. One whiskey bottle and one small bottle filled with a strange golden liquid. She quietly filled two glasses with the drinks. **

**She set the whiskey down in front of Superman and took the one filled with the golden liquid for herself. **

"**To life," she said then drained her glass. Clark nodded and did the same with the whiskey. It burned going down his throat but other than that he didn't feel the effects of the alcohol at all. **

"**So Miss…." He trailed off uncertainly. **

**She smiled, her blue and silver eyes twinkling, "Call me Ana luv, just Ana." **

**Clark smiled and continued, "Alright Ana. How do you know Mr. Onassis?"**

**Ana smirked then sighed. "Well about a million years ago we used to…I don't know if "date" is the right word for it. Whenever he needed arm candy he'd call me. After a while he became so much of a bloody arse-hole that I decided never to take a call of his again." **

"**Then why are you here? Surely you're not a friend of Lois's." **

"**I'm the entertainment. I'm going to spend the whole night singing cheesy love songs. I'm doing as a favor/wedding present for Odious. After tonight he gave me his word that he'd never contact me again." **

"**Ah." Clark smirked, a rather un-Superman-like idea coming to him. Before he could open his mouth however Ana smirked and said, "I could um…sing that song about you…the fast one…what's it called…"Kryptonite" or something?" **

**Superman was about to reply but off in the distance an explosion could be heard. He spun around and using his supervision saw that an oil tankard had just blown up. **

**He turned around to excuse himself but Ana beat him to the punch. **

"**You should go," she said softly, picking up his glass and giving him a small smile. **

**Clark nodded and flew off to help. It was what he was there for after all. **


	3. Meeting Saoirse

"Oh Bruce! Brucie darling!! Yohoo!!"

Bruce Wayne cringed but forced a smile on his face. Yolanda Creamenworth was one of Gotham City's most influential matrons. She was also one of the biggest busy bodies in the entire city and unfortunately she'd made her life's mission to set Bruce up with his "perfect someone".

The Gotham billionaire internally grimaced but outwardly put on the vapid grin that was his trademark.

The rather large woman with a horrendous blonde wig gave Bruce a toothy grin as he approached. "Oh Bruce my darling there you are! For a moment I thought you were avoiding me."

"Now why would I do that Mrs. Creamenworth?" asked Bruce through mildly clenched teeth, "You know you're my resident go-to girl if I ever find myself wanting in lovely company."

The sixty year old giggle girlishly and said, "Oh please Bruce after all these years it's Yolanda. Speaking of lovely company there is someone I simply _must_ introduce to you."

"Oh Yolanda I don't know I was just-" It was hopeless however. Batman, scourge of the criminal underworld was being dragged along helplessly by an over grown debutante.

He tried once more to make a semi-acceptable departure but the old matron wasn't hearing it.

"Oh nonsense darling you'll love her! She's an import you know. All the way from Ireland…poor dear doesn't know a _soul_ here. Ah here she is! Bruce Wayne I'd like to introduce you to-oh do tell me if I'm pronouncing this right dear- Sa-air-se Mack Mirish."

Out of the shadows stepped the most beautiful woman Bruce had ever laid eyes upon.

She was about 5'10 with smooth alabaster skin, a curvaceous body yet an impossibly tiny twenty inch waist. Her eyes were large and doe- like and pale jade green and framed by wiry glasses. Her eyebrows were arched in a way that gave her a permanent look of defiance. She had the nose of a born aristocrat, long and slender with a slightly upturned end. Her face was a lovely heart shape and her lips were full and pale pink. She was wearing a light tannish colored dress with a deep V neckline, shoulder straps, geometric sequin beaded waist, and a criss-cross back. Around her neck was a large golden pendant with the image of a tree carved into and a red and green spotted stone in the center. Her blood red hair was cropped so short the ends barely reached her chin. The intoxicating scent of jasmine and cinnamon filled the air around her.

Bruce couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

She gave a small half smile and said, "It's pronounced Seer-sha Mac Muris actually Mrs. Creamenworth."

"Bruce Wayne," said Bruce sticking out his hand.

Blue clashed with green as she raised her eyes to his. "Saoirse Mac Muiris." Her voice was sweet and melodious thick with an Irish accent.

"Yes, yes well Saoirse dearie Bruce was the one I was telling you about. He'll show you all of the best the Gotham has to offer."

"Are you here for business or pleasure Miss Mac Muiris?"asked Bruce in his suavist voice. Part of him was calculating about how much time and energy it would take to keep her from being suspicious versus how much less time people would be worrying about Bruce Wayne's private life. While another, slightly bigger, part was wondering if he even had a chance.

"Call me Saoirse, please," she said tossing her head, "and it's actually kind of a mixture. You see my umm…cousin wanted me to check some of our overseas investments and they lead me to Gotham."

Mrs. Creamenworth looked between the two of them and said in a very self-satisfied voice, "Well…I can see you two are getting along swimmingly. I'll just go…and give you two more _alone_ time." With a final parting wink the society matron walked off in search for other victims.

As soon as she was out of earshot Saoirse turned to Bruce and said, "You can go now if you want. I saw the way she dragged you over here. You don't have o humor her anymore."

Bruce stared at her for a moment then smiled. "What makes you think I was humoring her?"

Saoirse arched her eyebrow and said sardonically, "I may be new to Gotham City but even _I_ know about Bruce Wayne playboy extraordinaire and bachelor tousjour."

Bruce rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well…maybe I'm ready to turn over a new leave. You never answered my question you know."

"What question?"

"How long are you in Gotham for?"

Saoirse gave him a steady once over and was silent for a few moments.

Bruce was beginning to get nervous but then she answered.

"I'll be in town for at least two weeks."

Despite himself a one hundred percent genuine smile spread across his features. "Well then maybe we could-"

Before he could finish she interrupted him with a soft smile.

"You said you were thinking of turning over a new leave Mr. Wayne," she said softly, "Frankly I think it's a load of bullshite…but maybe you could convince me during say…a stroll in Gotham park?"

"Sure…when?"

The redhead smile coquettishly and said, "How about now?"

The Dark Knight stared at the young woman for a few seconds before holding out his arm, "After you My Lady."


	4. The Party

_You are formally invited to the _

_Gene Curmudgeon Museum of History's _

_First annual pre-exhibit ball. _

_Time: 7:30 pm _

_Place: the Central Plaza, 56__th__ floor_

_Special guest entertainment Anann O'Rourke _

_Please RSVP at your earliest convenience. _

"You look gorgeous," whispered Bruce, pecking her on the cheek as he spoke. Saoirse giggled and swatted him away. It was very true however.

It was a luxurious taffeta A-line ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and fully ruched bodice adorned with beaded appliqué that flowed into the skirt that pulled up to the hip revealing a beautiful arrangement of iridescent pleated layered fabric. The jade green color matched her eyes and her hair was done in an elegant twist that left a few pieces floating around her face.

It had been two weeks since they'd met and they'd been apart. Despite his duties as Batman Bruce had made sure he spent at least two hours every day with Saoirse. The buzz around Gotham was the infamous Bruce Wayne was finally in love. While Bruce himself balked at the idea of love he had to admit he was becoming more attached and attracted to Saoirse the more time he spent with her.

They'd spent most of their time talking. She talked about her home in Ireland, her travels, and briefly about her mysterious cousin. He talked, actually conversed, about his travels, about Gotham, and yes even a little about his parents. He'd actually found out that Saoirse's own parents had died when she was very young and that's why she lived with her cousin.

Alfred and Tim both had taken a liking to the Irish woman but Dick and Barbra had yet to meet her.

"I mean it," he said giving her a mega-watt smile, "No one will look as good as you tonight."

Saoirse rolled her eyes and said, "Yes well that probably means they'll be twice as harsh in the gossip columns."

"Aww do you want me to protect you from the mean gossip mongers?" asked Bruce teasingly going in for a kiss.

"Umm excuse me Sir, Miss…we're here," said Alfred interrupting the pair. Bruce sighed and mock glared at his oldest friend/butler.

"Your timing is impeccable Alfred."

"Don't worry about it," said Saoirse laying her hand across his arm, "We'll have _more_ than enough make up time later yeah?"

Bruce grinned wolfishly and opened the car door. Instantly millions of light bulb flashes filled their vision as did the screams of a hundred or so paparazzi.

"Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne!"

"Over here Brucie boy!"

"Mr. Wayne! Is there any truth to the rumor that you and Miss Mac Muiris are planning to elope?"

"Bruce are you the luckiest bastard in all of Gotham?"

Fifteen minutes later they finally made it to elevator.

"Don't you ever get tired of that?" asked Saoirse shuddering slightly.

Bruce chuckled. "It really doesn't bother me. Besides didn't you have to deal with that in Ireland? From what you and about a hundred other people have told me you and your cousin are about 100 times richer than I am. And I must say you're better looking too."

Saoirse laughed airily but Bruce could tell by the way her shoulder tensed that she was suddenly very uncomfortable. "The shire I grew up in was very…isolated. We didn't even get satellite for what seemed like centuries."

Before Bruce could reply the elevator dinged signaling they'd reached their floor. The doors opened and soon Bruce and Saoirse were in the midst of one of the most opulent parties wither one of them had ever been to.

"Bruce? Bruce Wayne?"

The dark haired billionaire turned around to see none other than Lois Lane standing behind him looking beautiful as usual. The Dark Knight vaguely wondered how Clark had been able to keep up his working relationship with her since her recent marriage.

"Hello Lois," he said smiling and placing a protective arm around Saoirse, he didn't want to feed her to the sharks quite yet. "I don't believe you've met my date. Saoirse Mac Muiris meet the fearless reporter Lois Lane…ah! And her friend Clark Kent."

Lois turned to see Clark standing behind her. "It's Lane-Onassis Bruce. I'm married remember?"

Bruce saw Clark flinch so he decided to quickly to change the subject. "So why are you two here?"

"We're covering the ball and subsequent exhibit opening," replied Clark quickly, happy for a different topic of discussion, "We also have to interview the entertainment for this evening. Apparently this O'Rourke woman is becoming an international sensation and you know how Perry is…he wants the _Planet_ to have the exclusive."

Just then a voice came on over the din of the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen introducing our special guest tonight…the enchanting Miss Anann O'Rourke."

The audience cheered but as soon as Anann stepped out onto the stage the fell dead silent and Clark couldn't blame them.

As it turned out Anann O'Rourke was the same Ana who'd given Clark the whiskey the day of Lois's wedding. If she'd looked stunning then it was nothing compared to how she looked now.

She was wearing a majestic evening dress that cowled at the back and had deep-cut in the front, hanging from a beaded armour neckline with a broach at a little above the navel that lead to the walking slit in the trained skirt. Her hair was done up in an elegant knot at the back of her head. She stepped up to the microphone and began singing.

_It's been a long time  
Since fighting to stay up  
Since facing the same way  
At least for the day  
Its been a long while  
Feeling at ease  
You're rolling on your knees  
A Holiday  
Yeah  
You  
And Me  
Play_

Her singing voice was much like her speaking voice, smoky and low yet perfect in its own way.

_We come and we go  
And dealing advice  
And stealing slow  
And kissing the dice  
I'm looking forward to singing alone  
Move your new found feet  
It's your pirate disco  
Wow  
You  
Me  
Wow_

We've stayed so long  
Because because  
What a sorry lie it was

We've stayed so long  
Because because  
What a sorry lie it was

We're on our own  
In our house  
Now our home is flying south

Ahh  
You  
Me  
Now  
Now  
Now  
Now 

The crowd burst into cheers as Anann took a bow and scanned the crowd. Saoirse flinched because within a second her green eyes were locked with the other woman's silver and blue ones. Anann quirked an eyebrow and made her way over to the group.

"Damn," whispered Saoirse under her breath.

"What's wrong?" asked Bruce giving her a concerned look.

The redhead smiled and waved airily, "Oh nothing. I just think I need to go out and get-"

"_Mé machnamh tú bheith í Dubai_." **(I thought you were in Dubai)**

Everyone turned to see Anann standing beside Saoirse with an unreadable look on her face.

The pale woman blushed fiercely and muttered, "_Mo obair leid mé anseo_." **(My work led me here)**

Anann lifted a single brow and replied disbelievingly and said, "_Angus tú sín ní glaoigh_?" **(And you couldn't call?)**

"I've been busy," Saoirse snapped in English, her accent slightly thicker now that she was getting pissed off.

The blue eyed woman let her gaze linger over Bruce for a moment before smirking and saying, "Yes I can see that." Then turning to Lois and Clark she stuck out her hand and smiled.

"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Lane-Onassis I'm Anann O'Rourke. I believe we spoke on the telephone yesterday."

"I remember you," said Lois shaking the taller woman's hand, "You performed at my wedding. It was very nice…until you sang that song…"Kryptonite"."

Clark, Bruce, and Saoirse all quickly turned snorts of laughter into either sneezes or coughs. Anann merely shrugged. "It was requested. Besides Odious will get over it, you two are going to have to have a sense of humor about the whole thing."

"I'm Clark Kent," said Clark quickly sticking out his hand. He could see Lois was mildly pissed off and he wanted to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible.

Like she had with Lois and Bruce Anann let her gaze trail over Clark's form. But unlike the other times Clark felt a small shiver of desire run up and down his spine. She quirked her mouth into a small, knowing half-smile and murmured, "Pleasure."

Turning back to Saoirse she gave the other woman a small smirk and said, "And this is my prodigal cousin I was telling you about…the one that's suppose to be in Dubai."

"This is your cousin "Annie"?" asked Bruce in shock looking at Saoirse incredulously.

Anann made a hacking noise in the back of her throat. "You know I hate that name Lile."

"And you know I hate to be called "Lile," snapped Saoirse, "I'm not a child any more Annie. I haven't been for quite some time."

Anann sighed and stretched her neck. She gave Saoirse an once-over but Clark noticed her eyes were softer than they had been before.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I guess I just keep forgetting you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. Here, why don't we move towards the window. It's a truly lovely view of the city and you can tell me about Mr. Wayne here."

So the five of them made their way over to the far side of the room that had floor to ceiling windows giving the perfect view of Gotham.

They chatted pleasantly for a while, Saoirse telling Anann about Bruce and all of the city she'd seen and Anann told them more about her and Saoirse.

Anann was the heiress to a gargantuan fortune along with a small amount of land, about two towns, and some kind of claim to not only the Irish throne but the Scottish and British ones as well. Saoirse was her cousin, but she was twice removed or something like that. Nevertheless she was still entitled to all of Anann's inheritance. The two of them spent most of their time globetrotting. The whole singing thing was just for kicks apparently.

"What about these two superheroes I've been hearing so much about? Superman and Batman? Have you seen either of them?" asked Anann curiously leaning against the glass.

Clark and Bruce exchanged looks while Lois said, "You're not likely going to see Superman here. He normally operates in Metropolis. And Batman? Good luck finding him. The man is more akin to a puff of smoke than he is a superhero."

Suddenly gunshots could be heard. People began screaming and running for cover.

Before either Clark or Bruce could do anything however a masked gunman burst out from behind a curtain and grabbed Anann.

"Nobody move or the broad gets a .22 right through the head!" he snarled pulling the young woman close to him and sticking a gun to her head.

Every stopped and stared. Nobody dared to even breathe.

"What do you want?" asked Clark tensely, eyeing the man with a considerable amount of anger.

"I want that damned pot of gold that's coming here!" he growled pressing the gun harder to Anann's temple. "It's mine and I want it back! Damned dirty high society thieves!"

"The pieces of the exhibit don't start coming in until tomorrow night," said Lois, "and even then there's no way of telling which piece comes when."

"Well then," growled the man pressing Anann's back against the windows and cocking the gun, "I guess you're just gonna have to find all of her pieces as well when she flies out the window!"

During the whole ordeal both Anann and Saoirse, who were both calm and collected, had been communicating with each other using small facial expressions. Anann gave Saoirse a quick wink so the other girl would know what the plan was.

"I have a better idea," said Anann grabbing the man's arm, "Why don't you and I both go for a ride?" Before anyone could do anything she flung herself and the man backwards out the window and tumbling down to earth.

Quick as a flash Clark was Superman and speeding down to catch them. Unfortunately the gunman had hit the ground before Superman could get to him. Anann had managed to grab a flagpole and hold on.

Gently Superman eased the woman into his arms and began floating downwards.

The fall had loosened her hair so now instead of neat knot her hair flowed over her shoulders and down to her waist like molten red-gold lava. The Man of Steel was immensely glad that he had caught her in time.

"I suppose this is a thank you for the drink eh?" she asked smiling at him.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded. "Yeah I'm fine but Yvette is going to kill me. It took her two hours to get my hair like that." They both laughed then Superman sobered.

"That was a very brave thing you did," he said seriously.

Anann for her part merely shrugged, "I'm sorry you couldn't get to that man in time…I wonder who he was."

"That could've been you as well," responded the Last Son of Krypton giving her a severe look.

"Maybe I wasn't scared," the redhead said flirtatiously, "Maybe I have wings…maybe I can fly too. Maybe I just wanted to feel the rush of falling."

They were almost to the ground by this time and Clark was distinctly aware of a blush starting o consume his face and neck.

"Besides,' she whispered into his ear, "I knew you'd catch me." And before he could say or do anything she kissed his face right where his lips and cheek met.

Without another word she hopped out of his arms and was immediately bombarded by Saoirse who swooped her up into a bone crushing hug.

She began babbling in Gaelic so quickly only Anann could keep up. After a few minutes Anann managed to pry her cousin off of her.

Clark gave a quick meaningful look over to Bruce who nodded in understanding. They were going to have a talk about this later. But at the moment Superman wasn't needed so he decided to leave, there was nothing more he could do here anyways.

What no one, not even Saoirse or Anann, noticed was that the corpse of the gunman had starting glowing black and then before anyone knew it had disappeared entirely.


	5. Dancing Queen and King

The studio was a bright clean place made almost entirely of cherry wood, walls and floors, with a glass ceiling. Poster of different musical acts spanning over decades and genres were plastered on the wall and soft flute music was playing in the lobby. It definitely wasn't like any other recording studio Clark had ever been in.

He, Lois, and Bruce had been invited to spend the day with Saoirse and Anann at the recording studio. Apparently Saoirse played some of the back-up instruments in Anann's songs.

After last night's incident the cousins had decided to head home and Lois went looking for Clark. That meant Superman and Batman hadn't had a chance to discuss what had happened.

"Welcome to out humble abode," said Saoirse smiling at all of them. She walked over to Bruce and gave him a small kiss before turning back to Clark and Lois.

"Annie's in the booth, if you all will follow me." She turned and started walking towards the back room.

"How's she feeling?" asked Clark as they walked, "She went through quite an ordeal last night."

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking though," said a voice from behind them. Everyone turned to see Anann looking happy and healthy standing behind them with her trademark half smirk on her face.

"[C'mon Sheena luv]," she said in Gaelic, "[Time to help me record my final song]."

Saoirse nodded and said to the others, "Take a seat. We'll only be a few minutes."

"Are you two the only the only ones who work at a recording?" asked Lois curiously.

Saoirse nodded, "Yes. We don't really need anyone else. The controls are all automated and will adjust automatically and I play almost every sort of instrument. With Annie on vocals there's no real need for anyone else. Neither the record label nor her manager mind, it just means less money to spend."

At that very moment Anann tapped on the glass and shot the green eyed woman an impatient look.

Saoirse shot her a cheeky grin and kissed Bruce quickly on the cheek. "I'll be back out in a few."

The two Irishwomen set up a few different things before Saoirse finally pressed a button and began strumming a guitar. The lights on the switchboard lit up and Clark, Bruce, and Lois could hear Saoirse's guitar. Then Anann began to sing.

_I found the pieces in my hand  
They were always there  
It just took some time for me to understand  
You gave me words I just can't say  
So if nothing else  
I'll just hold on while you drift away  
Cause everything you wanted me to hide  
Is everything that makes me feel alive  
_

Clark noticed that as she sang Anann began to glow a little, like some inner happiness was lighting her up.

_  
The cities grow  
The rivers flow  
Where you are, I'll never know  
But I'm still here  
If you were right and I was wrong  
Why are you the one who's gone  
And I'm still here  
Still here_

Seeing the ashes in my heart  
The smile the widest  
When I cry inside and my insides blow apart  
I tried to wear another face  
Just to make you proud  
Just to make you put me in my place  
But everything you wanted from me  
Is everything that I could never be

The cities grow  
The rivers flow  
Where you are, I'll never know  
But I'm still here  
If you were right and I was wrong  
Why are you the one who's gone  
And I'm still here

Maybe tonight  
It's gonna be alright  
I will get better  
Maybe today  
It's gonna be okay  
I will remember

I held the pieces of my soul  
I was shattered and I wanted you to come and make me whole  
When I saw you yesterday  
But you didn't notice  
And you just walked away  
Cause everything you wanted me to hide  
Is everything that makes me feel alive

The cities grow  
The rivers flow  
Where you are, I'll never know  
But I'm still here  
If you were right and I was wrong  
Why are you the one who's gone  
And I'm still here  
The lights go out, the bridges burn  
Once you're gone, you can't return  
But I'm still here  
Remember how you used to say I'd be the one to runaway  
But I'm still here 

The song ended and the trio outside of the booth clapped enthusiastically.

"That was great," said Lois still clapping, "I smell another number 1 hit for sure!"

Anann waved off the compliment and turned to Saoirse. "Now it's your turn luv. We're going to finish that song you've been working on."

The pale redhead blushed. "Do we have to do it today Annie?"

Her friend smiled and nodded and walked over and grabbed a violin. After handing it to Saoirse she sat down at the drums and began testing beats.

Suddenly without warning she started counting off and Saoirse had no choice but to play.

The song was slow at first, like a lazy summer day. But soon it began picking up tempo and soon Saoirse's fingers were flying. As much skill as Anann had with singing Saoirse had equal talent with the instrument.

The tune was a lively Irish one that sounded like not one but two violins were playing. Anann was keeping a steady beat on the drums but there was no mistaking whose song this was.

While Clark, Lois, and Bruce all watched in amazement the two redheads were silently laughing and smiling at one another. Both were caught up in the joyous feel of the music.

All too soon the song ended and both Saoirse and Anann stepped out of the booth.

"You were incredible," said Bruce pulling his girlfriend close to him.

Saoirse shrugged and said, "Thanks."

"Hey Clark," said Anann looking the reporter in the eye, "What is the museum exhibit about anyways?"

Clark blinked then said, "It's called The Mysteries of the Celts. Four artifacts bearing Celtic symbols and coming from the approximately same era were found in Antarctica, Japan, California, and Greenland. No one knows how or why the artifacts were found so far from their places of origin but they're an archeological phenomenon."

Saoirse and Anann exchanged grim looks but no one noticed.

"I see," said Saoirse lightly, "And do you know if they're planning on putting the artifacts in the same room?"

Bruce, Lois, and Clark gave the redhead a look.

"Of course they are," said Lois disdainfully, "There wouldn't be much point in the exhibit if they didn't put the main attractions in the same room. That's why the pieces are coming in over the course of a week. They're too valuable to be transported together."

"How fascinating," said Anann, "Sheena luv I think we might just have to stay and see this exhibit."

Saoirse nodded and glanced up at the clock, "Oh my God is it five already? Bruce we're going to be late for our reservations."

The billionaire nodded and nodded goodbye to others before sweeping his girlfriend his girlfriend out to his limo.

Lois nodded curtly to Anann and said, "I have to run too. Odious and I are moving the last of my things into his mansion." Without further ado she left as well.

Then there were two. After a moment or two of mildly awkward silence Anann cleared her throat.

"Umm Clark…would you like to go…dancing with me tonight?"

The Last Son of Krypton blinked. "Dancing?"

The Irish woman nodded. "There's this club in town I've been wanting to visit and I just thought since…well we're two healthy adults…it'd be fun."

Once again Clark felt a damnable blush spreading over his collar bone. "Gee Ana I'd love to but umm…I actually have two left feet."

The Irishwoman half-smirked-half-smiled and said, "I think I can coax you other foot to show…so can I pick you up at 8?"

"Uh…sure. Let me write down my hotel info," replied Clark before he even had a chance to properly think about it. All he knew was that he liked the light that had come to Anann's eyes when he'd accepted.

However when 8 o'clock rolled around Clark was beginning to regret his choice. He was certain he was going to make a fool of himself. Before he could pick up the phone and cancel however there was a light knock on his door.

Sighing Clark opened the door and nearly swallowed his tongue.

Anann was standing in front of him wearing a strapless red dress that barely covered her mid thighs. Despite her already Amazonian height she was wearing three inch heels. Her hair was down, flowing in loose curls down to her waist. Her lips were shiny and moist while her eyes were exotic and smoky.

She gave her trademark half smirk at his reaction and said, "Hi. You look great, are you ready to go?"

Clark swallowed and resisted the urge to loosen his tie. "Yeah." He hated the way his voice had cracked; this whole situation was making him feel like an awkward teenager again.

Anann smiled and grabbed his arm, "Well then let's go."

The club was called _Rhythm Nation_. While the owners would not get an award for originality in names inside it was incredible. The floors and walls were wood but the bar, the tables, and the chairs were made of shiny obsidian. The lights flashed every color in the rainbow and then some. The music was upbeat and lively. There was a combination live band/DJ booth so the music selection was interesting.

"Wow," said Clark over the music, "this place is incredible."

Anann nodded, her eyes sparkling. "C'mon. I'm teaching you how to dance!" Before Clark could protest she'd signaled the band and soon they started playing a song with a distinctly Caribbean beat.

_Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake your body line  
Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake it all the time  
Work, work, work, senora, work your body line  
Work, work, work, senora, work it all the time_

"Oh Ana I don't know-" But before he could finish his protest the redhead had dragged him on the floor and was moving to the beat of the music.

_My girl's name is Senora  
I tell you friends, I adore her  
And when she dances, oh brother  
She's a hurricane in all kinds of weather_

(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Whoa

"C'mon Clark," she teased, "You're not going to break me luv. Just let go."

Clark sighed. He'd like nothing more than to let go, to truly let loose but it was dangerous. People could get hurt. But there was something in Ana's eyes, in her smile that made him wonder if what she was saying was the truth. _Could_ she really be unbreakable? He thought back to last night, how she calmly threw herself out a window and wasn't the least bit phased by the whole ordeal. It was clear this woman was more than a little unflappable.

"Alright," Clark thought out loud, "what the heck." With that he really started to dance.

_Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake your body line  
Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake it all the time  
Work, work, work, senora, work your body line  
Work, work, work, senora, work it all the time_

You can talk about cha cha  
Tango, waltz, or the rumba  
Senora's dance has no title  
You jump in the saddle  
Hold on to the bridle

(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Rock your body, child!  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Somebody help me!  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Whoa

"There you go!" cried Anann happily as she spun into his arms, "See Clark! You don't have two left feet! You just needed to loosen up!"

_Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake your body line  
Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake it all the time  
Work, work, work, senora, work your body line  
Work, work, work, senora, work it all the time_

Senora, she's a sensation  
The reason for aviation  
And fellas, you got to watch it  
When she wind up she bottom she go like a rocket

(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Hoist those guns a little higher!  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Jumpin' jiminy  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Whoa oh oh oh

Clark was distantly aware of the fact that they were the center of attention but for once he found he didn't care. He was having fun dancing with the most beautiful woman on the planet in his arms. For once keeping Superman's secret didn't seem like a top priority.

_Shake, shake, shake, senora  
Shake your body line  
Work, work, work, senora  
Work it all the time_

Dance, dance, dance, senora  
Dance it all the time  
Work, work, work, senora  
Work it all the time

Senora dances calypso  
Left to right is the tempo  
And when she gets the sensation  
She go up in the air  
Come down in slow motion

(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Somebody, help me!  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you  
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) Whoa

Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake your body line  
Shake, shake, shake, senora, shake it all the time  
Shake, shake, shake, senora!!

The song ended and both Anann and Clark were laughing so hard it hurt to breathe. Maybe there was something to be said for letting loose every now and then.

A few hours later they were standing outside Anann's penthouse room, still laughing.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," she said looking up and him (despite the fact that she was over 6 foot in her heels Clark still had a good three inches on her) and smiling.

"Yeah," agreed the Man of Steel smiling too, "I had a great time, thanks for inviting me."

They stood in silence for a few more moments looking at each other and smiling. Suddenly without warning Clark kissed her on the lips.

Before he had a chance to draw back and stammer out an apology Anann responded. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth just enough to let her tongue touch his.

They stayed like that for as long as Clark dared. Just because _he_ could hold his breath for an hour didn't mean _she_ could. They drew apart and Clark was pleased to see her cheeks were flushed with pleasure and her eyes sparkled like Christmas lights.

"Good night," he whispered softly, kissing her cheek chastely. Without waiting for her reply he walked towards the elevator, seriously considering fly without Superman's cape. Because this wasn't a victory for Superman, it was a victory for Clark Kent.


	6. Meeting Dragon

The museum was dark and quiet.

Unseen in the shadows Batman was crouched looking out for anyone who might want to steal the newly arrived artifact.

It had been tough leaving Saoirse at her penthouse room but he had a job to do. After the attack on Anann he wanted to make sure no other mischief would be stirred up tonight.

He had to admit he was surprise when he saw the first artifact. It was rock, a really, really, _really _big rock. It was at least seven feet tall and looked like it had been around longer than the earth itself had. It was covered in faded silver Celtic marks, spirals, knots, and triquetrous all covered the massive piece of stone. There was also writing that had nearly been rubbed away by time, and more importantly it was in a form of Gaelic that no one could read.

It was incredible really; a man had died and nearly killed another just for a hunk of rock.

Suddenly there was movement. Out of a shadowy corner opposite from where Batman was a figure stepped out.

He was dressed in all black from head to toe. Black leather pants, black motorcycle boots, and a long black leather trench coat.

The Dark Knight could see two hints of silver peeking out below his coat but other than that the mysterious figure had no other color on.

The figure walked up to the stone and began circling it, his cocked in a thoughtful manner. Suddenly Batman could see the front of the mysterious person.

_She_ was wearing a tight form-fitting one-shouldered black shirt and had on a mask that had no holes for eyes and a large red dragon covering the forehead to the left cheek.

"The Museum's close," growled Batman stepping out of his shadows at last.

For her part the woman didn't even flinch she merely turned around and calmly replied, "Leave this place Bat-Man. My business here is none of your concern."

Batman pulled a batarang, "It's my business if you're going to steal."

The woman snorted disdainfully, "Foolish mortal. You have no idea the danger you are putting your world in by displacing this Hallow. Still…if you wish to fight then be prepared. I will give no quarter."

With that she moved her coat back to reveal two very deadly looking swords strapped to her sides. She drew them out of their scabbards and crouched into an attack position.

Without saying anything the two sprang into motion.

The first thought that crossed Bruce's mind was that whoever this woman was she was an incredible fighter.

She knew more than just basic fencing techniques; she knew how to use her whole body a weapon. When he blocked her swords with his gauntlets she tried to upend him by sweep kicking his legs.

He punched her stomach she nicked him with one of her blades.

He threw gizmo after gizmo at her she merely deflected.

Finally he tried throwing a net on her but she did the most incredible thing. She jumped up so high in the air it almost looked like she was flying kicked off of the wall and pile-drove him into the marble floors.

Suddenly an alarm went off overhead. Batman had silently triggered the alarm.

The woman cursed, hopped off of the Dark Knight and sheathed her swords.

"Clever. However your actions could have serious repercussions."

"A man died and nearly killed another for that thing," snarled Batman getting up gingerly. It felt like the woman had crack more than a few ribs.

"That is no concern of mine. He and I have different objectives," replied the masked fighter coldly, "My purpose is far greater than one mortal's greed."

"Then what is your purpose?" demanded the vigilant, "Who are you?"

The woman was backing away into the shadows, the eyeless mask boring into Bruce's lenses. "My purpose is to prevent Armageddon and those who appointed me worthy of this fight call me Dragon. Heed me Bat-Man. If this exhibit is put up, it will be the end of your kind." She then back completely into the shadows and shimmered away.

Batman got up gingerly and silently turned off the alarm. Thankfully the police hadn't arrived yet so he could take a good look at the scene without any interference.

After ten minutes of searching the only thing he'd found was a name one a worn piece of paper.

Sheena Mac Muiris

He stared at the name for a moment before tucking it into his belt and swooping away into the night.

Later that night he sat in front of his bat-computer and waited for the results. Finally a window opened and had about a paragraph's worth of information.

_Sheena Mac Muiris is the author of the book, _A Secret Mythos: What the Emerald Isles Hide _published in 1867. There is no known record of her birth or death. Nor is it known if she ever had a family. Her book is widely regarded as one of the premiere works on Irish folklore. _

It then proceeded to list all the places the book could be found, mostly specialty shops that charged exorbitant prices, exactly the sort of place Bruce Wayne could easily infiltrate.

Suddenly, something clicked in Batman's brain.

_Mac Muiris_.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his forehead. It seemed like there was more to Saoirse then met they eye.

"Oh Bruce they're beautiful," said Saoirse appreciatively as she sniffed the roses the billionaire had given her. Bruce smiled thinly, doing his best to conceal his true emotions.

On the one hand the woman who was quickly becoming the focus of his attentions might have connections to a dangerous criminal. On the other hand there was no overt proof that Saoirse was involved, and besides even her ancestor _had_ written the book that didn't mean she knew anything about Dragon.

"I also have another gift for you," he putting on his best playboy smile. "Alfred and I were looking for gifts for Dr. Thompson at this rare book shop when I came across this." He pulled out the book and watched her face and body language carefully.

Her face remained blank as she read the cover, though he could've sworn he'd seen the slightest hint of a frown pulling her full lips.

"Do you know of the author?" he asked innocently, "I mean you guys _do_ share the same last name."

It took the redhead a moment to reply and when she did speak her words were carefully measured and flat, like a lie told too many times.

"No, she's not my ancestor. I have heard of her though. There are…_legends_ that surround her. It's said that the _aos sí_, the people of the Otherworld, carried her off into their darkness; angered that she wrote a book telling mortals their secrets. It's more likely an agent of the English or the clergy killed her then destroyed evidence of her existence."

Bruce gave her a disbelieving look so the young woman elaborated.

"In her book she states that not only was the world as we know it form by a _pagan goddess_ but also the true ruler of Ireland is _pagan queen_. There was no scientific evidence to explain how human kind had come into being back then. Word was taken for fact. The English would've hated that a woman of all people had a more legitimate claim to rule over Ireland than them and the Church, all of them, would've been appalled at the idea of a pagan goddess being the Almighty of this world."

Bruce chewed over this information for a bit then decided to take a different approach. "Well ok then. What do you think of the new exhibit? Pretty cool huh? Should be a real piece of work once all the pieces are in."

Saoirse gave Bruce an annoyed look. She sighed and said, "Bloody hell Bruce I'm not one of the society bimbos that seem to populate Gotham. Don't pull that airheaded fop thing with me. I know you're smarter than that."

The Dark Knight alter ego gave his girlfriend a surprised look. He hadn't realized how much he'd let his mask slip when he was with her. It was time to fix the damage.

He gave her his best leer and said, "Maybe I was just pretending baby."

Saoirse eyed him balefully and said in an icy voice, "I'm not a fool Bruce. Please stop trying to push me away." Her voice softened, as did her gaze. "I really, really like you."

"Sure it's not just the bank account," the billionaire deadpanned.

The redhead laughed and said, "No. You said it yourself after all; I'm one hundred times richer than you are."

She kissed him softly and Bruce couldn't help but smile. The Bat in him might be screaming at him for his stupidity, for letting his guard down but he found that at that moment he didn't really care.


	7. Meeting Wraith

"Are you sure?" asked Clark distractedly. He was trying to work on his story for Perry but at the same time he was counting down the seconds until Ana arrived. She'd called this morning and asked him if wanted to get some dinner with her tonight. About half an hour ago Bruce had called which was really inconvenient for Clark; Ana would be over there any minute.

"Positive," growled Batman on the other end, "They know something about this Clark, both Anann and Saoirse."

At that moment Clark heard the soft click-clack of high heels on the floor outside then shortly after a knock on the door.

"Look Bruce I have to go," said Clark hanging up, only vaguely aware of the other man's annoyed sigh.

A moment later he opened the door to reveal a very lovely looking Ana on the other side, her trademark half smile half smirk on her lips. Before he could even say hello her lips were on his. It was sad, considering his nickname was The Man of Steel that he felt like melting into a puddle every time he got near her.

Clark had never felt this way about anyone before. Lana had been an adolescent crush who'd turned into a good friend. Lois had been his first adult love, maybe not true love. He thought back to how easily she gave up, how easily _he_'d given up. With Ana it felt like everything was sharper, clearer, and more intense. It scared the hell out of him, that he felt so strongly about her after only two days (technically three but she didn't know he was Superman) of knowing one another.

He vaguely wondered how serious she was about him. She didn't seem to be the flirty type but still…you never knew how artsy types would go.

There was also the little issue about him being Superman. Could he ever tell her about his superhuman alter ego? Could she ever be safe again as "Superman's Girlfriend" even if he was the only one who knew? Would she be able to put up with that major commitment in his life?

Question after question swirled around in Clark's head. Eventually Ana noticed and drew away.

"You alright luv?" She placed her hand under his jaw and searched his eyes for some hint of what was bothering him.

He smiled and kissed her palm. "Yeah, just hungry. Where are we going?"

The blue eyed woman gave him a strange look, as if she knew he was lying and was disappointed that he had. The look left as quickly as it had come and she replied, "Yeah, I was actually thinking we'd go for a stroll in the park. I packed a picnic if that's ok."

Clark smiled, "Sounds great."

The picnic as it turned out was a grocery store made sandwich and salad for Clark and a odd combination of very foreign foods along with that strange glowing drink for Anann. When she'd handed Clark his food Ana had blushed and shrugged apologetically.

"I'm a terrible cook, I was making the meal and realized the only who'd be able to eat it is me."

"That's ok," Clark replied taking a bite of his sandwich. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment then swallowed.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The Irishwoman took a small sip of the strange gold liquid and smiled, "Shoot."

The Last Son of Krypton bit his lip thoughtfully and asked, "Do you know anything about the exhibit? You know the one you nearly died because of."

Anann was silent for a long moment before saying, "I…I don't know much but I have my…_theories_."

"Theories?"

The redhead nodded. "There are stories about four magical objects that act as a prison for the most horrible monster in all of Creation. It's said the goddess Brigid bound the creature then placed the objects in the four corners of the earth to prevent him from ever escaping."

Clark gave her an incredulous look and said slowly, "You really think that these artifacts are the four objects that hold an ancient monster?"

Anann looked away as she shrugged. "All I know Clark is there's something not right about those artifacts. I mean who's ever heard of four different artifacts being found on opposite ends of the world that are from the same culture and the same time period? All I'm saying that in a world where a man in blue tights claiming to be some benign alien from an extinct planet is saving people left and right anything is possible."

That night Superman had decided to guard the museum incase "Dragon" came back. A new artifact had come in today and Bruce was tracking his contacts in the underworld to see if there was anyone ready to claim responsibility for the attempted theft.

This one was as random yet beautiful as the first. It was large rusted cauldron with clawed feet and ornate detail in the belly of the pot. There was also some writing but it was in the same form of untranslatable Gaelic as the stone.

All was quiet as Clark hovered in the shadows, waiting and watching.

Suddenly out of the darkness came a slight shiver of air and then…a…if Clark's eyes weren't deceiving him it looked like a _demon_ had come out of the shadows.

It was wearing a long blood red cloak, blood red trousers, blood red boots, and a blood red tunic with a black leather belt. Two swords were strapped to its sides and its face was hidden in darkness. Two giant black wings that looked as if they were made from smoke protruded from its back.

It moved as if it had no feet at all, gliding over the marble floors. It glided over to where the cauldron was, placing a gloved hand on the glass.

"_I know you are here Son of Krypton. Show yourself_."

Its voice was like nothing Clark had ever heard before. It was a low growl with a high breathy, screechy undertone as if someone deep in the depths of the creature was screaming.

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Clark coming out into the open night air. His arms were crossed over his chest and his cape was billowing even though there was no breeze in the museum.

"_They call me_ Wraith," replied the creature, calmly watching the Man of Steel approach, "_and do not insult yourself by asking foolish questions. You know why I am here_."

"Well "Wraith" like my friend told yours last night you unfortunately this is now museum property," said Superman, advancing upon the creature and glaring fiercely.

"_You have no idea the evil you threaten to unleash_," said Wraith pulling out its swords. They were incredible works of silver, elegant handles made of crisscrossing silver swirls down to two blades that were nearly identical. "_I cannot allow that, all my family has worked for, sacrificed over the millennia will not be tossed aside for a few mortal's greed for knowledge they could not possibly comprehend_."

It spoke calmly enough but Superman detected a mild bit of anger behind the words.

"If it's that important then come with me, we can talk to the museum curator, the police. You can tell your story and we can put up some precautions. Fighting and stealing isn't the only answer," he said moving his arms from his chest.

"_They would not understand_," replied the creature icily, "_Your kind never do. Not Gilgamesh, not Odysseus, not Arthur…no mortal can possibly comprehend the evil that lies dormant within the Hallows_."

"Well then it looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way." But before he could even get into a fighting stance Wraith struck out at him with its sword.

Clark gasped as the sharp edge cut a small nick in his uniform. Knives and swords had never affected him like that before, normally they just shattered the moment they touched his skin.

"_My blades can cut through mortal skin with ease, son of Krypton. Be wary_." _Suddenly it began shimmering away. "Heed my words Kal-El, if Asal lives this world and all in it shall perish_."

With that the creature disappeared into the darkness.

Superman shook his head. This was going to be a little tougher than he originally planned.


	8. Creeping Darkness

Dr. Arielle Young smoothed back her long blonde hair as she eyed the man in front of her. Clark Kent of the _Daily Planet_. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, or at least he would be if he didn't sit all hunched over and wear those dorky glasses. The youngest curator in the Gene Curmudgeon Museum of History's history had no idea what a superstar like Anann O'Rourke saw in him.

But then again there was no accounting for her taste in mates either.

"Are you sure that's all you can tell me about the artifacts Dr. Young?" asked Mr. Kent while adjusting his glasses and looking down at his notes.

Arielle thinned her lips. "Yes I'm quite sure Mr. Kent. Since at the moment there is no one on Earth capable of translating that particular dialect of Gaelic the information we have about the artifacts are quite limited. Perhaps your girlfriend could lend a hand? From what I've read she seems to have grown up in quite a…_rustic_ little town."

The last part was said with a bit of an edge to it, signaling that Clark should back off.

The Man of Steel bit his tongue. As much as he would like to fire back with a biting remark he still needed some information.

"And what about the break-in Superman reported last night? The attempted thief reportedly called himself "Wraith". Can you give our readers any info about that?"

Arielle tried to hide her blanch. After the Dragon debacle with Batman he had been angry but after he'd found out about Wraith…well she understood why so many feared him.

"No," she tersely standing abruptly, "I have no new information about that either. Good day Mr. Kent." With that she left the room in strong swift strides.

She walked quickly down to the lead-lined high security vault where the artifacts were being held. After entering her pass code she stepped inside the dark metal vault and gazed reverently up at the first artifact.

The _Lia Fáil_, the Stone of Fal, the Stone of Destiny. So many names for just one priceless object. She'd been in California, poking around a Native American dig near San Jose when she saw it. It's huge, decrepit, beautiful form looming in the twilight. The moment she'd laid her hand on its surprisingly smooth surface she'd felt it…felt _him_.

"_Well, well, well my dear…how was that nosy reporter_?"

His voice was like a storm breaking over the rocks, rough, harsh, yet strangely soothing.

Arielle bowed at the waist and said, "Nothing I couldn't handle my Lord. Kent is but a mere mortal, you are the King of the Otherworld. You have nothing to fear from him or his meddling."

"_Not King, not yet at any rate_," he replied, "_Not while that damned chit is snooping. Her and her pathetic lackey_."

"Her mother wasn't able to kill you and Brigid was far more powerful than her daughter, if all you've told me and the stories are correct," replied the young woman stroking the stone soothingly. "And besides, you're half-way whole. All that's left are the spear and sword and then you shall be free."

The stone began to quake and two small spurts of fire scorched the air close to Arielle's hand.

"_Death is meaningless to my kind. It's all about power, break a creature's power you have broken them_," he snapped icily, "_And while it is true Brigid was unable to fully destroy me do not underestimate the young one. She has all the power of her people flowing inside of her. For all of her impetuousness and youth her reign as Queen of all the Otherworld has never been contested. If she were to succeed in foiling our plans than that would mean the end of me…and we'd never be together_."

Arielle's heart clenched at the idea of him being gone forever. Of her beloved Asal disappearing into smoke. She was a fairly pretty woman with shoulder length buttery blonde hair, a slim figure, and All-American features complete with the big brown eyes. But no one had ever given her the slightest bit of attention. She was always either the silent bookworm or the pretty face that was forgotten as soon as she passed out of sight.

She'd had a small crush on Bruce Wayne once, desperately hoping in her most secret dreams that he would see past her shy bookish exterior and see the flower waiting to bloom. But of course he like every other man on the planet, like Clark Kent, preferred the striking ethereal beauties. Women like Anann and her cousin Saoirse O'Rourke who were almost too beautiful to be real. That had all changed when she met Asal. He saw their beauty for what is was, cheap magic tricks.

"_The Morrígan cannot interfere_," said Asal fiercely, "_Do whatever you have to, to stall or stop her_."

"But I don't even know who she is," protested Arielle weakly, hating that she couldn't do more for her love, "How can I stop someone I don't even recognize?"

The great stone was silent for a moment before saying, "_Death casts a long shadow, find one who revels in true Darkness and you will find The Phantom Queen_."

Bruce stared at the painting. "Helen of Troy" by Evelyn de Morgan was a beautiful painting filled with vibrant colors. And according to Sheena Mac Muiris's book it was also one of the many paintings of the "Ash Child".

Batman had been staring at the painting for the better part of an hour trying to figure out what the heck an old painting had to do with modern day robberies.

Clark was examined a painting called "Ophelia" by Arthur Hughes. That apparently was one of the many paintings done of "The Morrígan".

"Are sure these have anything to do with Wraith and Dragon?" asked Superman for the millionth time. He was having a hard time concentrating on the image when his mind was somewhere else entirely.

Bruce resisted the urge to grind his teeth. "Yes Clark I'm sure read it for yourself."

The reporter grabbed the book and read aloud.

"'They were very vain and very beautiful. The Morrígan, being older and more powerful was often painted as beguiling goddesses or as a fierce tormentor of men. The Ash Child was often depicted as the sweet princess or hapless maiden. Over the centuries men have pined over their beauty, some to the point of insanity. Two of their most famous depictions are "Ophelia" by Arthur Hughes and "Helen of Troy" by Evelyn de Morgan.' We'll alright but I still don't see how this is going to help us."

"Keep reading," replied Batman tersely.

Clark sighed but obliged. "'They are known by a series of distinctive traits, traits that follow them no matter what form they take. You see neither is truly human. The Morrígan, being from the Otherworld has a true form so beautiful that to look upon it means instant death for any mortal. The Ash Child, being born a mortal but transformed into an everlaster, can change her form to fit any human bearing. No matter the form the Ash Child always wears her eyes of deep forest green and her pendant of gold with the Grand Tree of Life is given. The Morrígan, in her regal form is a wondrous sight to behold. Silver marks, arranged in patterns of Celtic origin swirl across her face, hair like fire spills down her shoulders, eyes with silver pupils akin to those of a cat, and two huge black wings that look as though they are made of smoke.' Wow…sounds incredible."

"Apparently to see either in their true form means instant death," said Bruce frowning as he pursued the picture, "That's where Basilisk myths come from, or parts of them at any rate."

Clark sighed and rubbed his face. "Bruce if what this book says is true then these women have had their portraits painted hundreds, if not thousands of times. What use is it for us to waste our times examining paintings that are _at least_ a hundred years out of date?"

"Because Sheena Mac Muiris is the only connection we have to the attempted robberies," snapped the billionaire running a frustrated hand through his hair, "And right now that's the only tangible thing we have to go on. The artifacts are a mystery to everyone, no one in the underworld has heard of any Wraith or Dragon, and no terrorist group is coming forward. We're running out of leads Clark. The answer _has_ to be here somewhere."

The Man of Steel patted his friend sympathetically on the shoulder. He knew that it was frustrating for "The World's Greatest Detective" to be stumped at every turn and he also had a date with Saoirse tonight that he'd probably have to reschedule…all in all it was not a very good day to be Batman.

Taking a deep breath Clark prepared himself for the icy stare he was going to receive. "Bruce why don't you…and me for that matter…take a break…" As expected the Dark Knight gave him an icy glare so Clark rushed on before he lost his nerve.

"Anotherartifactiscomingintonight, wecouldtalktoWraithandDragonandseeifwecouldgetsomemoreinformationoutofthem. Ithinkthatifweaskwe'llgetsomeanswers, plusIhaveadatewithAnatonightandIreallyreally_really_don'twanttobailonher."

Bruce blinked then sighed. Truth be told it he didn't want to have to cancel on Saoirse and it was clear they were looking at dead ends.

"Fine," he said gruffly getting up, "but we meet at the museum exactly at midnight. Got it?"

Clark smiled and nodded. Before he turned to leave the Cave he looked over his shoulder and said to his friend, "You know Bruce, it's not a bad thing that you've found something more important than your mission. She could make you happy."

With that the man from Kansas walked out.

Bruce sighed and leaned back in his chair. It wasn't that Clark was wrong about how he felt about Saoirse…

But that was the problem.


	9. Bitter Truths

The sunset was like watching a ball of fire sink slowly into the ocean, beautiful and terrifying all at once. Blues, reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, and purples painted the sky in a way no artist, no matter how talented, could recapture.

Saoirse inhaled the crisp cool air, filling her lungs with oxygen that reminded her of home. It wasn't that she disliked Gotham but she still missed Ireland terribly. It always had been and always would be her true home.

She ran her hand through her hair but stopped once she remembered how short it was. The redhead sighed, it was such a nuisance having her hair short but it was necessary. Just like the damned glasses were necessary. Sometimes she wished she didn't have all the responsibilities that she did. Sometimes she wished she could live an uncomplicated life in Ireland. But it wasn't something she could do.

Maybe she could convince Bruce to buy an estate nearer to home…

"[Don't even think about it luv]," said Anann from the doorway to the bathroom. Her hair was hanging down to her waist heavy with water since she'd just stepped out of the shower. She was wearing a flowing silk kimono robe that revealed a good portion of her long tanned legs.

Had Saoirse not been used to this sight she probably would've been drooling.

"[I wasn't _really_ considering it]," she said defensively rubbing her arms. She was wearing a shear black jersey dress with a black bejeweled corset. Fashionable yes, warm not so much.

The blue-eyed woman snorted. "[You know you can't lie to me Lile. You like Bruce Wayne more than you should.]"

Saoirse sighed. Of all the languages she knew, Greek, Latin, Russian, Sanskrit, Swahili, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, and about a dozen more, none got Annie's point across more effectively than their native Gaelic. The way the words flowed from her mentor's lips could be made softer than any pillow or sharper than any blade. It was infuriating really.

"[It would never work, a long term relationship between the two of you]," the older woman continued eying her best friend carefully, "[You are too different.]"

"[He's not nearly as lecherous as the papers here make him out to be]," said the Irishwoman with a mild undertone of anger, "[He's sweet underneath all the pomp and circumstance. He's also very intelligent and sweet and-]"

"[I wasn't talking about _those_ differences]," cut off Anann rolling her eyes, "[I was referring to the fact that you two come from different worlds. No matter how much you or he might wish it our world is too dark for him.]"

Saoirse sighed and raked her hands through her hair once more. It would be so easy, so freeing to be completely honest with Bruce. To tell him that she understood the pain of his parents' deaths all too clearly, that she knew all too well what dark impulses he'd buried deep inside.

"[We'll find a way]," she replied stubbornly lifting her chin, "[Anyways what about you and Clark? You two have spent practically every moment together the last few days.]"

The green eyed woman got great satisfaction out of the way her friend's shoulders stiffened. Her eyes narrowed and Saoirse could practically _see_ the electricity that radiated from the tanned skin.

"[It's just a flirtation, nothing new]," Anann replied tersely disrobing and getting out the clothes she was going to wear. Clark was picking her up in about half an hour and they were going to take the train down to Smallville, to meet his family.

Though she would never admit it (not even to Saoirse) the prospect of meeting Clark's family was a little intimidating. In all the relationships she'd been in (and she'd been in quite a few) she'd never been integrated into her partner's family life. Clark however, was different. Sighing, the Irishwoman lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

Unfortunately for Anann Saoirse knew her too well. The younger woman let out a bark of incredulous laughter and snapped, "[_Flirtation_ my arse! You like Clark just as much, if not more than I like Bruce. He's half in love with you…and you aren't even _trying_!]"

Saoirse might not have been nearly as good as Anann when it came to reading people's emotions but she knew the look in the reporter's eyes, and she knew her friend. It was odd that Annie had pursued Clark without using any of her usual tricks, not that she ever really needed them. Anann was more beautiful than anyone else the redhead had ever encountered in her entire life.

"[Just drop it Sheena]," snapped Anann as she tugged on pale blue peasant top, the flowy material covering her fingers. She was also wearing a pair of dark wide leg pants, and boots. She wore no jewelry save for the few trinkets she'd hung in her hair, which was left loose and flowing with only a headscarf containing it. All in all Ana looked more like herself than Saoirse had seen in a long time: an unearthly beauty with earthy tastes. The laws of fashion (and a bit of fear) had dictated how they dressed for so long but in this new age of freedom and shifting trends it was easier to dress as themselves.

"[I'm just pointing out your hypocrisy that's all]," said Saoirse sullenly turning her back to her friend.

Anann sighed. There were days when she cursed her life. She understood how constrained Saoirse felt by the rules that governed their lives. Even with all the freedoms their powers offered them there were just as many restrictions…but Anann had learned the hard way that those restrictions were necessary.

"[You know that no matter how attached we become to Clark and Bruce it cannot last. Our mission-]."

"[I know our mission, no matter what you might think I haven't forgotten it]," snapped Saoirse. She sighed and ran her hand through her cropped hair. "[I just wish we weren't doomed to fail from the get-go. It'd be nice to have an actual relationship for a change and not just dalliances.]"

Anann pulled the younger woman into a motherly hug. "[I know. I know how unfair it is that we are saddled with all of this responsibility. I know this is not the life you saw for yourself. I know you hate not being completely honest with Bruce. I'm sorry.]"

"[He asked me about Sheena Mac Muiris]," the green eyed woman said biting her lip, "[With the appearance of Dragon and Wraith it's only going to get worse. Bruce is a smart man and Clark is a reporter it's only a matter of time before they piece it all together.]"

The blue eyed women blinked a few times then said with icy surety, "[Then we will deal with it as it comes. We've worked too hard and too long for a couple of Caped Crusaders to ruin it.]"

'[Even if we have to confront them-]"

Her musing was cut off by a knock on the door. Anann gave her friend a look and opened the door to reveal both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce!" said Saoirse in surprise getting up and heading for the door, "What are you doing here?"

The Gotham billionaire put on his most charming smile and said, "Well it turns out that Dick and Barbra will be in town tonight and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the rest of my brood."

"We ran into each other in the elevator," explained Clark smiling at Ana and handing her a bouquet of bright blue orchids.

Ana smiled as she took the flowers. "Thank you, they're gorgeous."

Clark smiled brightly and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

The two Irishwomen exchanged glances, silently confirming that their conversation was far from over.

"Yeah," she said taking his arm, "let's go."


	10. Meeting the Kents

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

Ana kept rapping her fingernails against the windowsill and her knee was bobbing up and down at lightning's pace. Every couple of minutes she would bite her lip gently then lick it with anticipation.

_I am_ not _nervous_, she thought to herself furiously. _After all the things I've done and seen this should be a piece of cake! I am _not _nervous._

Clark watched his girlfriend shift nervously. He had to admit he found it all very entertaining, Ana was almost always the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. The very idea the meeting his family made her nervous was very amusing for Clark.

He grabbed her hand and stroked it gently. "Don't be nervous, they'll love you."

"I'm not nervous," snapped the Irishwoman glaring at Clark.

The Last Son of Krypton couldn't stop a smile from creeping up his face. "_Sure_."

Twenty minutes later Clark pulled up to his old home. Even from the driveway the smell of home cooking and horses filled their noses. It made both Clark and Ana smile, for different reasons.

"C'mon," he said tugging her hands gently as they got out of the rental car. They'd barely made it five steps when a brunette blur hurdled into Clark.

"Clark I'm so glad to see you!!!" Kara exclaimed excitedly giving her cousin a bone crushing hug.

"Hi Kara," replied the Kryptonian man a bit bemusedly. The younger girl turned to Ana and gave her a similar kind of hug, only being very careful not to hurt her.

"You must be Ana. Wow I can't believe my cousin is dating Anann O'Rourke! When I heard I nearly died! Oh my gosh I can't believe you're at my house!"

The redhead smiled and said, "You must be Kara, Clark has told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet the famous Brunette Tornado."

Kara looked between Clark and Ana and said to her cousin, "You _told _her about me? What did you say? I swear Clark if you told her about Camp Eugene I'm going to-"

"Kara honey let Clark and his lady friend come in and sit, it's a long way from Smallville to Gotham," called Martha Kent stepping out onto the veranda. She was a petite woman with a head full of silver hair. Despite sharing no DNA with Clark Ana could see where her boyfriend got his kind eyes from.

"Er…Hello Mrs. Kent I'm Anann O'Rourke," said the redhead sticking out her hand for the older woman to shake.

"Please call me Martha," she replied pulling the blue eyed woman into a maternal hug.

The four of them made their way inside where Ana met Jonathan Kent, who personality wise was an older clone of his son. Both had a strong sense of right and wrong and valued hard, honest work above everything else. The Irishwoman found she liked the elder Mr. Kent very much, he and his son were a breed apart from the men she'd encountered during her lifetime.

They fell into pleasant, inane chit-chat before Kara asked about Ana's home in Ireland.

"I mean it must be cool living in an old castle," said the young Kryptonian, "all the rooms and tapestries and servants and things like that. I know I wouldn't want to go anyplace else."

Anann smiled softly and said, "It is a truly beautiful place, my home, but my shire is small and I am not the type of person that is content with her own little corner of the world. I had the means to travel so I traveled."

"What about your parents?" inquired Mr. Kent, "Surely they must've had some reservation about you and your cousin traveling all over the world with almost limitless resources."

Clark saw Ana bite her lip as she lowered her eyes. Her next words came out softer than he'd ever heard her speak before. "My umm…my parents died when I was very young. Lile and I had a…a nanny of sorts. Tara Brine is her name; I swear we could never get away with anything. The woman has eyes everywhere."

Her voice trailed off and the Man of Steel gave her a reassuring squeeze and a chaste kiss on the cheek. Martha stood up and beckoned to Kara, "C'mon sweetie, let's get dinner ready. Clark why don't you show Ana around the farm until dinner's ready?"

The sun was just about to disappear from the horizon painting the sky a royal purplish blue color. Ana inhaled deeply. "It's beautiful."

Clark shrugged, "It's just Kansas, with all the places you've been I'm sure this pales in comparison with all you've seen."

The blue eyed woman considered his words for a few moments as she ran her hand over the wheat. It was true, she'd see more than anyone else in this world, more than Saoirse and plenty more than Clark. But nothing, no matter how spectacular could compare to this feeling…the uncomplicated happiness of being with someone she cared for more than she'd like to say. It felt…whole being here, in the middle or a wheat field with a mild-mannered reporter and not a care in world.

"No," she said shaking her head, "Nothing's better than just being here with you." Suddenly, fearing the moment had become too heavy gave him a playful push and whispered, "Catch me if you can."

She took off running into the field, her fiery hair streaming behind her. Clark smiled and gave chase, only slowing down significantly to make sure he didn't give anything away. They ran and ran and ran some more as the stars began peeking out through clouds. She stopped suddenly and Clark accidently ran into her, sending her to the ground with him on top.

"Oops sorry," he said looking down at her. He suddenly realized his glasses were sliding dangerously down to the tip of his nose. However that became a secondary concern when he realized what sort of position they'd landed in. She was lying under him in a very vulnerable position, him over her.

"I…umm…," he stammer feeling a blush creeping up his face and neck.

Anann didn't say anything. She merely gave what could only be described as a predatory smile and pulled Clark closer. As they kissed she ran her hands through his hair, pulling him closer than humanly possible.

The stars and the moon were out fully, bringing an ethereal light to the wheat field.

Clark was still trying to catch his breath; he'd never lost control like that before. He'd been with Lois only a couple of times and he'd always made sure never to hurt her in any way. But this time…he hadn't been afraid of hurting Ana. It was almost as if he instinctively knew that she wouldn't break. His glasses had slipped off of his nose and were dangling by one ear, but somehow the strongest man on earth couldn't find the energy to fix it.

During their passion Ana had ended up on top and that's how she was now; completely nude, straddling his naked waist as her red-gold hair tumbled down her shoulders and back. Her hair was a wild mass of curls with various wildflowers tangled up in the silky tresses giving pops of purple, blue, yellow, and pink periodically. Her smile was lazy and satisfied as she traced patterns into Clark's naked chest.

Somewhere in the recesses of his mind Clark thought the Irishwoman looked like some ancient pagan nature goddess. Every line, every crevice of her body seemed to be more sharply defined; as though someone had lifted a screen from his vision so he could see her properly. Her eyes seemed bluer; the ring of silver seemed to seep into her pupils, making them silver too. As the moonlight flickered over head the Kansas made swore swirling patterns flash across the left side of her face for about three seconds.

"We should get dressed," she whispered softly kissing the crook of Clark's neck; "Your cousin and parents will come looking for us soon."

The Man of Steel sighed but knew the blue eyed woman was right. So both of them moved gingerly away from one another and began putting their clothes back on. It took a few minutes for Anann to shake all the flowers of her hair and to get the headscarf back on but Clark helped her.

Ten minutes later they were bombarded by the smell of home cooked food and freshly baked bread filled their nostrils. Martha had prepared a veritable smorgasbord of delicious food including some Irish delicacies in honor of Anann's presence.

"Oh good," said Jonathan as they walked in, "I was just about to send Kara out to look for you two. Come on and sit down, your mom's prepared quite a feast Clark."

"Where were you two anyways?" asked Kara as she as she bit into a piece of chicken.

Clark and Ana exchanged swift glances. "Oh nowhere," answered the redhead airily, "Clark was just showing me the wheat fields."


	11. Meeting the Clan

"Master Tim I would so appreciate it if you sat like a proper gentlemen and not like a little savage, lest Miss Saoirse mistake us for animals," said Alfred gently reprimanding Tim Drake aka Robin the Boy Wonder.

The ten year old swung his legs over his head and sighed. Reluctantly he sat with his back ramrod straight the appropriate three inches away from the back of the extremely cushy chair he was in.

Barbra Gordon brushed back her auburn hair and hid a smile. This new girl of Bruce's must be pretty important if Alfred was reprimanding Tim on his incurably bad posture.

"So when are Bruce and his new lady of his getting here?" she asked trying and failing to mask her impatience.

"Soon Miss Gordon," was the only reply.

Dick Grayson shook his head, "I still can't believe Bruce is serious about this girl. I mean how many floozy has he had over the years? One hundred, two hundred? What does one girl have to offer that any bimbo socialite can't?"

"Well for one thing I'm a much better conversationalist," said a musical voice with a thick Irish accent behind them.

The quartet turned to see Saoirse and Bruce arm in arm. The latter was giving his ward and icy look while the former looked more amused than offended.

"This is Dick," said Bruce tightly still giving a toned down version of the Bat-Glare, "my oldest son. Unfortunately his manners are severely lacking."

The redhead merely laughed and said, "Relax Bruce. Its fine, I've been called worse. It's a pleasure to meet you Dick. I promise Bruce has told me nothing but wonderful things about you."

The former boy-wonder could only stare. Saoirse was without a doubt the loveliest woman he'd ever seen in his entire life and he was finding it hard to speak.

Barbra felt jealousy flare up within her but it was quickly tampered down by admiration. Everything about Saoirse screamed self-confidence and not the smug holier-than-thou kind that the rich reeked of. She was so beautiful, so ethereal, and so perfect yet had that almost magical ability to seem just like everyone else.

The scent of jasmine and cinnamon flooded the room as Alfred stood and said, "May I take your coat Miss Saoirse?"

"Oh please Alfred it's just Saoirse, not even Tara Brine, my nanny of sorts, calls Miss Saoirse."

The old Englishman nodded and went to check on dinner. Tim, unable to contain his excitement any long bounced up to the redhead and said, "C'mon! You have to see my new skateboarding trick!"

Without waiting for her response the ten year old tugged his foster-father's girlfriend through the house into the gigantic backyard (complete with a handmade half-pipe).

So for the next half an hour Tim showed Saoirse all the tricks he knew how to do. Bruce, Barbra, and Dick watched from a little ways off.

"So…she seems cool," said Batgirl eying her mentor carefully.

Bruce merely nodded.

"How serious are you about her?" asked Dick bluntly.

"Serious enough," was the terse reply.

"C'mon Bruce! You can't blame us for being a little cautious about her. I mean you don't exactly have the best luck when it comes to women," said Barbra gently trying to keep the peace.

"Yeah, between Selina, Talia, the veggie lady you married, and Andrea you don't exactly have a sterling record when it comes to women," added Dick rolling his eyes.

"Saoirse's different. I can be just Bruce with her. Not the air-head Bruce Wayne, not the gruff Batman…just Bruce."

"But does she even _know_ about Batman?" asked Barbra softly.

It took a few moments for the dark-haired billionaire to answer which was all the two sidekicks needed to hear.

"I've only known her for a little over two weeks…she's not ready for it."

"And yet you love her?"

"I never said I loved her. I care about her more than I've cared about anyone in a long time…maybe I love her but I don't know."

"Then you should tell her," replied the former Robin simply.

"Tell me what?"

The trio turned around to see Saoirse giving them an inquiring look. Her short red hair was blowing in the breeze and the setting sun caught her glasses in a way that lit up her whole face.

Suddenly Bruce's vision shifted. Everything in his peripheral vision became blurry while Saoirse suddenly became clearer. It was as though someone had lifted a mesh screen from his eyes. The background changed a little too.

Instead of a sloping green backyard a gray rocky cliff was in the background, he could hear the ocean break over the rocks, smell the salty air.

Saoirse had changed as well. Her hair was long, all the way down to her elbows and she wasn't wearing her glasses. Her pale green eyes were brighter, her skin smoother, her exotic scent sharper. She was wearing a long flowy deep green gown that wouldn't look out of place in a Renaissance Fair. The gold pendant around her neck shone brightly.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared the strange vision disappeared and all his sight was back to normal.

"Bruce?" repeated Saoirse, "Tell me what?"

The billionaire was saved from answering by the timely arrival of Alfred.

"Dinner is ready," he said in his clipped British tones before walking back up to the mansion. Tim grabbed his skateboard and Saoirse's hand and went tearing up after the old British butler.

Dinner was fantastic. Alfred had really outdone himself. He not only cooked of Bruce's favorites but he'd clearly done his research and prepared a few traditional Irish dishes as well.

Saoirse's face lit up when she saw the dinner.

"Oh Alfred this looks delicious! I haven't had Drisheen in such a long time!"

"It certainly was interesting to make," replied the older man smiling slightly.

"What is it?" asked Barbra looking at the mound of meat.

"It's Irish black pudding," replied the Irishwoman, "It's made of cow's, sheep's, and pig's blood, milk, salt, and fat, boiled, then stuffed into a pig's intestines like sausage. It's very tasty. Tara Brine used to make it all the time for me when I was younger."

It was hard to tell who looked more grossed out, Tim, Dick, Barbra, or Bruce.

Saoirse laughed at their expressions and said, "Luvs you have to understand, where I live is very remote, very old-fashioned, and very _very_ Irish. People eat what they can to survive."

"Still cow guts?" asked Dick weakly looking at the food on the redhead's plate.

"So if your village is so isolated how is it that you and Anann have such great wealthy?" asked Barbra, her blue eyes flashing with interest.

"Well," began Saoirse slowly, "It's not that's isolated that much but…the area where I live has a reputation. It's the sort of place a stranger wouldn't want to travel alone at night."

"High crime rate?" asked Bruce concernedly, suddenly not wanting his girlfriend to go back to her potentially dangerous homeland ever again.

Saoirse stared at him for a full fifteen seconds before she began to laugh, hard. Tears were streaming from her pale green eyes. She wiped them away and smiled her brilliant smile.

"Oh heavens no! No, I can't remember the last time a crime was committed where I live. It's an incredibly peaceful place. No the reason for our reputation is the stories."

"What stories?" Tim asked eagerly, bouncing up and down out of his seat.

It was incredible how much she and Anann could look alike, thought Bruce in the back of his mind. They had the same, Cheshire cat grin, as though they knew exactly how to reel in their mice.

"Well," she began, her voice lowering dramatically, "it is said that long ago, before the earth, sun, and sky even existed there was a powerful race of gods called the _Tuatha Dé Danann_ ruled a mystical place called the Otherworld. The Queen of these gods then created the mortal world and placed a veil between her world and ours. They say the place where that veil is thinnest is a place called _Dá Chích Anann_ in the Southern part of Ireland. That's where I'm from, and the castle where Saoirse and I live is thought to be the home of the last remaining goddess. Though I must say in all my years of living there I've never seen her."

"Cool," whispered Tim, he then suddenly turned to Bruce, "Once school lets out can we visit Saoirse in Ireland? I want to explore her castle."

"If she wants us," replied Bruce, uncharacteristically excited about the possibility of a vacation.

"Summer's a long way off Mr. Wayne," said Saoirse teasingly, "Are you sure you won't get bored of me by then?"

As he spoke Bruce looked directly into the pale green eyes that so enchanted him.

"No." he said simply, but with a strong undertone of conviction, "I'll never get tired of you." He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for what he was going to say next.

"I love you."


	12. Double Trouble

The night was cool crisp and perfect. The stars were shinning and the moon was full. Somewhere some higher being had decided that tonight he would give humanity a glimpse of what a perfect night looked like.

Superman's thoughts wandered towards another form of perfection. Acres of perfectly bronzed skin straddling his waist…hair like fire framing his face…perfect deep blue eyes boring into his own…

After dinner he and Anann had gone back to Gotham and he'd dropped her off like a gentleman, after all she was performing at the grand opening of the exhibit and she needed her rest.

"Goodnight," she'd whispered after a searing kiss in her doorway. She looked him square in the eye and for a moment and it had happened again. The same sort of…shift in his sight. Her features became sharper, her eyes more blue, her pupils silver, her scent more heady, and those same designs of silver appeared on her face extending from the corner of her left eye, over her eyebrow up to her hairline. It had lasted longer than the moment back at the farm had, long enough for him to be unnerved. Seeming to sense his unease she had kissed him again, driving all other thought from his mind.

"Focus Kent," snapped Batman out of the corner of his mouth brining the Big Blue Boy scout out of his memories.

After the initial shock of his words Saoirse's had face lit up and she had swung her arms around Bruce's neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

"I love you too," she'd whispered, smiling against his lips. Alfred, Tim, Dick, and Barbra had watched from afar, all with satisfied smiles. After a few more moments they'd broken apart, Saoirse apologetically saying she needed to get back, that she and Anann had to do something important tonight.

"Relax Wayne I know where my head is," retorted Clark blithely, unable to keep a smile from lighting up his face.

Suddenly the wind shifted, not a lot but enough for the two men to notice. Then a coarse, slightly mocking voice echoed from the shadows.

"Well, well, well. Apparently the four of us had the same idea."

The two super-heroes turned to see Dragon and Wraith standing just outside the shadows of the museum corner.

"We're taking you in," growled the Caped Crusader striding towards them, batarang in hand.

"_Unlikely_," Wraith hissed drawing his swords. "_The Spear of Lugh cannot stay here_."

Clark glanced over to the item in question. Like the other two artifacts it seemed older than time and had faded Celtic patterns painted on the decaying wood. The tip seemed to be made from obsidian which was fairly odd but it didn't have writing on it. This was the third piece, the final one would come in tomorrow.

"And why not?" demanded Superman, "Tell us about this unspeakable evil you're supposedly protected us from."

Wraith's wings snapped but other than that the specter showed no outward signs of emotion.

"It is not a mortal's concern why we must protect the Hallows," replied Dragon calmly surveying the World's Greatest Hero coldly, "You only must know that it is a duty that has been entrusted to us since before time."

Suddenly an impossibly cruel sound filled the room. It was as though every form of mortal misery had been put into a single sound. Bruce realized it was laughter; someone was _laughing_ using the echoes of human suffering.

"_**Sé**____**ea**____**amháin**__** an **__**tús**_!"

Then out of nowhere what looked like black lightning came down from the ceiling and barely missed Bruce. The wind picked up and the black lightning began striking about every three seconds. Dragon and Wraith dodged the bolts but it kept coming. Suddenly one came down with such force the whole room shook. Unfortunately it came down on Bruce.

Superman immediately rushed to the fallen hero's aid, not noticing the way Dragon had had to be physically restrained by Wraith when the Gotham Knight fell. Before Clark could reach Batman he too was struck and instantly rendered unconscious.

It took only a millisecond for two things to happen. First Wraith and Dragon quickly grabbed the limp bodies and shimmered out of sight. Second was the moment they were gone the lightning ceased and the room, Stone, Cauldron, and Spear intact, became calm once more.

The first thing that Bruce registered was that his head hurt like hell. The second thing was someone with incredibly soft hands was probing his third left rib causing a lot of pain. His eyes snapped open and he saw that he was home, in the Batcave and laying on one his many medical cots. But it wasn't Alfred who was tending his wounds.

It was Saoirse.

Only…something was off. She wasn't wearing her glasses and her hair fell all the way down to her elbows. Her skin seemed paler, more like marble, though that might've been more due to the fact that she was wearing black leather pants and a one shoulder black shirt.

She was putting a strange blue salve on a rather nasty gash on his side seemingly oblivious to his sudden consciousness.

Questions buzzed around in the billionaire's mind. What had happened? How did he get here, to home, when the last he remembered was being at the museum? Why was Saoirse here? Did she know he was Batman? What had happened to Wraith and Dragon?

Sudden realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"You," whispered Bruce taking in her black clothes and calm demeanor, "You're Dragon."

Saoirse's only response was to smooth a bandage over his wound. But when the redhead straightened and looked at Bruce he could the pearly tears running silently down her perfect face.

When she spoke however her voice didn't shake. It was as melodious as it had ever been. "Don't move. You were struck with Black Lightning, you're lucky to be alive. I need to make sure Clark's alright."

Without another word she turned and walked about three paces to Bruce's right, where Clark Kent lay. He too had some nasty gashes and just like she had with Bruce Saoirse put the mysterious blue salve on Superman's wounds and placed bandages on them.

Clark groaned and sat up slowly, wincing as he went. "Oh my God my head…what happened?" He blinked. "Saoirse? What are _you_ doing here?"

The Irishwoman smirked. "Isn't _that_ the question for the ages luv."

"Lile quit it and put the _Leigheas_ away."

Both men turned to see Anann…or at least who they _thought_ to be Anann. The woman had nearly all of Anann's features, her thin mouth, high cheekbones, thin nose, fiery hair, tan, tall, lithe figure, and her jewel blue eyes, but with a few major differences. The woman's irises were the exact same blue as Anann's but she pupils with silver and cat-eye like. She also has bright silver Celtic markings starting from the corner of her left eye extending upwards over her eyebrow to her hairline. And the most noticeable difference of all, two giant black wings that looked as if they were made of smoke extended from her back down to the floor. She was wearing the same blood red clothes Wraith had been wearing but Clark noticed that the swords were laying a few yards away.

"You two are Wraith and Dragon?" the Man of Steel asked incredulously looking between the two women, desperately hoping this was some sort of sick dream.

Saoirse flinched while Anann snorted and rolled her eyes.

Bruce felt the raw sting of betrayal fill his gut. He felt his pain turn quickly into white hot rage.

"You used us," the Batman hissed, "You two are the ones who want to ruin the exhibit. You two are nothing more than common criminals! You'll lie, cheat, steel, use-"

"Enough!"

Saoirse's nails dug into his flesh as she pressed him down into the cot, her pale green eyes fiery and rage to match his pulsating out of every pore.

"Don't you _dare_ say I lied to you! I can't lie…not anymore at any rate. Don't assume you know anything about me Bruce Wayne! I told you what I could!"

"Oh yes I seem to remember you mentioning that you were a supernatural thief sometime on our second date!" he spat back bitterly.

"Do you think I liked lying to you?!! Don't you think it killed me that I had to lie to you, you stupid, arrogant, lying ass! I've been keeping secrets longer than you've been alive!" she practically screamed at him and funny thing happened. A beam of what looked like golden lightning crackled _out_ of her skin. Not just around but actually out of her, like it was a normal bodily function.

Anann noticed this and cut off Saoirse and Bruce's argument with a curt response. "As much as I _hate_ to interrupt this little lover's spat Sheena babe I don't think it would be wise to hit Bruce with _Tintreach_…again."

"What?" Bruce asked indignantly turning his head from his girlfriend to her best friend.

"It's what we call our energy when it manifests itself outside of our will," was the nonchalant reply.

At the men's blank looks the blue eyed woman sighed but Clark saw a small smirk tilt the corners of her lips. With a few quick keystrokes she pulled up their research on Sheena Mac Muiris.

"You've been researching us," she said with approval, the smirk becoming more pronounced, "Very clever. I wondered if you'd gotten to us yet or if you were still hung up on finding out if she even existed."

"I don't get it," said Clark, sitting up, wincing as he did so, "You're saying that _you two_ are the Ash Child and the Morrígan? But that's-"

"Impossible?" Saoirse tone was bitter and self-mocking, "Yes we've been told that quite a few times over the centuries. After a while you learn to tune it out."

"But perhaps we should start at the beginning," said Anann quickly, seeing Bruce opening his mouth.

Saoirse snorted, "Which beginning?"

Anann's smile held no mirth, "The very beginning."


End file.
